Every day throughout the baseball season, Jared Merandi brought his glove, bat and proverbial lunch bucket to go to work. His job was to be quicker and more assertive tracking fly balls in center field for the Schoolcraft Ocelots.

Practice does makes perfect, especially for 20-year-old Merandi, a flawless defender in 2017 with zero errors next to his name.

And perfection proved golden for the Plymouth High School alum and Canton resident, who Friday received a National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Rawlings Gold Glove — the first national honor for the second-year Schoolcraft program.

“Coming here and picking it up, it was awesome,” said Merandi, who knew about the award in July. “At first I was like ‘Sweet, it’s a cool award.’ But actually coming here and it was right in front of me I was like ‘Alright, this is pretty sweet. It’s special.’

“I wished regionals would have ended a little differently so that the whole team could have gotten some hardware. That would have been really cool. But being able to get something nationally, it’s awesome.”

Merandi also got it done at the plate, batting .355 with two homers and 19 runs batted in.

Sharing the moment

On hand Friday at Schoolcraft College’s physical education building were Ocelots head coach Rob Fay and another standout outfielder from the 2017 squad, Waymond Lemon.

“It’s amazing, probably I should have worked on my defense more,” said Lemon, with a grin. “I could have got one.”

Both Merandi and Lemon (a .340 hitter with just three errors in 2017) just concluded their second seasons with the program, with Merandi considering Michigan State University as a walk-on opportunity. Lemon will continue his baseball career in 2018 at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

“Me and him (Merandi) have been throwing partners for two years,” Lemon said. “So just seeing my brother like that, on a huge accomplishment, even for a program that’s only been around for two years is very special.”

Merandi said it meant a lot to him to see Lemon there when Fay brought the shiny gold glove down from the athletic office.

“Yeah, we always played catch,” Merandi continued. “He was probably one of my closest friends during the school year, we’d always play catch, we’d be in the outfield together, we’d be pitching together.

“It’s real nice to see him out here supporting me. Experiencing it with me. It’s nice, cool.”

Just crazy

After Merandi takes the award home for a while, he will bring it back to Schoolcraft to be on display for future baseball players to catch a glimpse of.

“It sets a standard,” said Merandi, who will study business at Michigan State University regardless of whether he wins a spot as a baseball walk-on. “Coming into the season, national awards, I don’t think any one of us was thinking about that, I know I wasn’t.

“To win it, it was actually like, it was crazy. When our coach told us we were nominated, I was thinking like, we’re going up against everyone, all the D-III teams in the nation. I didn’t think I had a chance. But when it happened I was really surprised. So I think it will set a standard and let everyone know that things are attainable.”

According to Fay, he and other Schoolcraft coaches nominated Merandi and second baseman Hunter Sellers (Livonia Franklin alum) for the regional gold glove team.

Sellers, unfortunately, did not make the all-region squad. But Merandi’s name went to the national board comprised of officials from Rawlings and the NJCAA, after which one player per position is selected.

“He was error free in the outfield, so for him it was real easy,” Fay said. “When they decide who wins these awards they basically look at fielding position, which comes into fielding and throwing.

“And all year long out in center field he was perfect for us.”

On the map

That level of proficiency didn’t happen by accident. Fay praised Merandi for his constant inner drive to work and get better with Schoolcraft outfield coach George Kontos.

“We preach here that we play defense with our feet,” Fay explained. “So the faster, quicker, more agile we can be, the better we are going to be to get to balls.

“We constantly tell our guys to beat balls to spots. If you can beat a ball to the spot, and get your body in position, you’re not only in position to field it, you’re also in position to make the throw.”

And after just two seasons, Schoolcraft’s baseball program is on the national map, something that can only help future high school players decide being an Ocelot is a viable option.

“Being a young program, recruits aren’t necessarily familiar with our coaches,” Fay said. “This award shows that if you’re an outfielder, coach Kontos is a great coach for outfielders.

“It shows that we get talented players and it shows that, by coming to Schoolcraft you can get the national recognition that may help you get into the four-year school that you’re pursuing.”

Who knows whether future Gold Gloves are in the offing for Schoolcraft players. But thanks to Jared Merandi, the possibilities are endless.

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Jared Merandi gets his first look at the Gold Glove trophy, which he won for being errorless in 2017 for Schoolcraft. He is an alum of Plymouth High School.(Photo11: Bill Bresler | hometownlife.com)

HOW TO BE FLAWLESS

Take it from Jared Merandi, who just won a NJCAA Division III Rawlings Gold Glove for his fielding prowess for the Schoolcraft Ocelots’ baseball team.

Here are just a few basic tips on what it takes to become a flawless outfielder:

GET BEHIND IT: Merandi said outfielders need to be in proper position. They shouldn’t literally take shortcuts.

“For the outfield, the main tips are staying in front of the ball,” Merandi explained. “I think that’s the biggest mistake a lot of people try to time it out, so they get right to the ball as it’s coming down.

“Biggest key is to get behind it, it’s a lot easier to move forward than it is to move backwards.”

READ THE PLAY: When the baseball leaves the bat, good outfielders quickly know whether to break toward the infield or drift back toward the fence.

“It’s a little bit of anticipation,” he continued. “Being able to read the ball off the bat. The biggest thing is your first step. You want to make sure your first step is backwards, you open up quick. that’s going to be your biggest help to get the ones deep.”

RELAY GOOD: Hitting the relay man is an integral part of being an outfielder, and Merandi said there is no easy formula — other than being a tireless worker in practice.

“Honestly, it’s repetition and practice,” he stressed. “Because, you can do it, it’s basically just your throwing skills. So if you’re not practicing it, it’ll be sloppy.”

WORK ETHIC: Although winning a Gold Glove is glamorous, the work that goes into raising one’s proficiency to award worthy isn’t. But Merandi underscored the importance of good, old, hard work.

“(It’s about) practice, hard work,” Merandi said. “On the field and off the field, in the gym. A lot of kids like to skip leg day. You can’t skip leg day. You got to be quick, that’s how you get explosive.”